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June 2001 |
Friday 1st
It's half term! All one day of it, but I'm in school invigilating a Maths exam. Mai Pen Wry! (Thai)
Having the hire car delivered at 3pm so I can take the visitors to Pattaya for the weekend.
Nick's been house hunting:
"... Finally, I've been indulging in a new hobby. I'm looking for a new house to buy. I've found a few and I'm going to see them soon. Two bedrooms, dining kitchens, living rooms and they all have pools. Difference is, they are all in Southern Spain. I'm going to purchase my retirement home in the next 12 months, as I retire in 8 years, and rent it out as a holiday home in the meantime. Ambitious, I know, but you've inspired me."
Saturday 2nd
Stayed on the 22nd floor of the Pattaya Park Hotel. Magnificent views across the bay.
Morning in the Water Park, afternoon at Nong Nooch Tropical gardens.
Dinner at "Tarzan Hut" built out over the sea. Perfect at sun set.
Sunday 3rd
Morning drive back from Pattaya so the visitors could do some shopping at Jatuchak Market before getting on the bus back home. Their last meal in Bangkok was the seafood Barbecue Sak prepared on the roof.
Monday 4th
More news from Nick. His show biz aspirations have finally been out done by his daughter Lucy. She has been offered a part on a TV programme.
"She was selected by an agent who saw her at stage school, to go for an audition in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago, for the job as a presenter on childrens ITV. She came away from the audition not knowing much, but she got a call from the producers last week saying that they had a part in a new drama for childrens ITV for her. She now has to get a work licence and permission from her school to have 2 weeks off for filming between now and Christmas."
Tuesday 5th
Sam's sending around an email with an .exe attachment which is exactly what we're warned not to open in case it contains a virus. She says in the email that she's checked it and is certain it's virus free .. I believed her and opened it... it was very good. Try it yourself
Wednesday 6th
Heard from Monica (taught together in Singapore) out of the blue today:
Yessireeebob, my Andy and his brother-in-law are not only driving across America to raise money for charity, but they're doing it in a car that was originally built in the 1930s!!!! Arrgh! Are they mad? Am I worried? Yes, it's a very ambitious thing to do. It's all to give meaning and memory for the loss of our darling nephew Angus, who died of an obscure disease at the age of 3. Even since his death there's been medical progress and screening is now available for the disease and our aim is to raise money that will go directly to the people who are doing the research and who are supporting families which have been affected by the disease like ours was. If you'd like to send us some dosh we'd put it straight in the fund, honest, and if you send loads and ask niceley then you could have us sign your name on the car. Whoopie, I hear you cry!! Well, it's worth asking! Please check out the website which has more details of the trip etc, photos of our Angus and the car. The plan is to upgrade the site as they go....they have (or should by then) the technology. The website tells you how to make a donation or get sponsorship an stuff. Please do look. Andy's sister is working very hard for this to run smoothly and raise a good amount of cash for the fund..........we're tryna get sponsorship for new tyres and petrol, but no luck so far....all ideas welcome. Have a nice day, Thanks for your time, MonicaOh yeah, the web address!! nearly forgot! www.angusfund.org.uk
Thursday 7th
Big day for me today. We were hosting the finals of the Bangkok International Schools Maths Quiz. It was a high tech affair and went really well. I was a little concerned at one point when out of twelve teams, the Patana teams were coming first and second but it all worked out well in the end as we came a respectable second and fourth.
Friday 8th
Graduation assembly.
Dinner at Oishi, a new chain of Japanese Buffet restaurants.
$ $ $ $ $
Saturday 9th
The graduation Ceremony for the class of 2001. Grand Ballroom, Oriental Hotel.
Sunday 10th
I've succeeded in my mission to find a couple more "Super Jumbo" Hawaiian type shirts for Nick to wear on stage with his band. His directions were extremely vague but eventually I found the shop called Dr Zu.
Monday 11th
From Sowi:
Philosophy lesson..........
A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognise that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
But then...
A student then took the jar which the other students and the professor agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a glass of beer. Of course, the beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full.
Which proves: That no matter how full your life may appear to be, there is always room for beer.Tuesday 12th
I had the Welsh National Dish for dinner tonight. Cheese on toast!
Wednesday 13th
Received from Sam:
If you check out this page you may see me , or my team at work , or alternatively you may just see an empty desk. It's my turn to have it trained on me today. Check it out and watch me pick my nose!
www.walsall.gov.uk/cam/devwebcam.htmThursday 14th
"Sim Salabin" they said as they held their security passes up to the electronic eye and the doors automatically opened. I had seated myself next to this door so could hear what they said when they entered. What does Sim Salabin mean and where does it come from?
Friday 15th
I'll be teaching the Year 12 Higher Maths IB group by email next week as I'm not in school. Some of them won't be in school either, they're on a course in Singapore, but they'll be doing the lessons too. Distance learning over 6000 miles. I tried to get a photo of them all today but two were missing:
Saturday 16th till Saturday 23rd
One week at a conference at Wolverhampton University!! Mobile phone number 07946 748887
Celebrating Jamie and My upcoming birthdays
YES....I DID IT .... Champagne all the way back to Thailand... I got upgraded to Business Class ... Ha Ha Ha.
The Jumbo was overbooked so I knew they'd be looking to move some people out of Economy into Business. Luckily for me there was only one free seat upstairs and I was the one who they chose to have it. We'll it may have something to do with my loitering around the desk at the gate and smiling at anyone in a uniform!
Champagne, Sancerre 1999 and Johnny Walker Black Label; Wonderful. Dinner was Pike-perch fillets with mild curry sauce served with a mix of fennel, kohlrabi and mushrooms and fried grains of wheat. The fancy menu tells me that this meal was inspired by the master chef at the Restaurant de Karpendonkse Hoeve in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. I could have had Duck in Truffle sauce but I didn't want a grouse.
A fine nights sleep on the reclining extra wide comfy chairs and foot rests.
Breakfast was Crepe with mushroom and cream filling served with a courgette and pepper rondelle and rosemary potatoes. How will I ever survive economy class again?
Monday 25th
Sowi sent this (nothing to do with me!):
Tuesday 26th
Overslept by twenty minutes this morning but apart from that a good night's sleep. Fastest recovery from jet lag yet!
Wednesday 27th
Email from Shep
I went out on Friday and bought a lawnmower.
I went out on Saturday and bought a lawn!Thursday 28th
Last weekend I bought a digital camcorder from the Duty Free at Amsterdam Airport. It's a steep learning curve but I am just about finding my way around it.
Friday 29th
Played squash with Sak. What a close match this time... four games each then I just won the decider by one point.
Saturday 30th
Got a some video editing software (Adobe Premiere) and have just mastered the basics. Here's my first attempt at inserting titles and special transition effects between scenes. It's a load of rubbish really but you've got to start somewhere. The quality has been greatly reduced to enable it to speed across the web.
Diary:
